The most commonly used currently available surgical scalpels were designed over 100 years ago and were first granted a patent in 1915. For more than a century, little substantive design improvement has been made. The standard surgical scalpel is still comprised of an elongated handle, usually made of metal, into which a detachable and disposable cutting blade is inserted. While a few modifications of this basic design have been suggested, none has gained acceptance and wide usage by surgeons.
While the old scalpel design has hung on, surgical scalpel injuries to patients, surgeons, and operating room personnel remains the second most common, and arguably most avoidable, healthcare injury after accidental needle sticks worldwide. Concerns for continued risk and injury from scalpels were expressed by the United States Congress in The National Needle Stick Prevention Act.
While there are some, typically disposable, known scalpel designs with an added feature of a guard for covering the sharpened part of the scalpel blade when not in use and/or wherein the blade can be retracted into the handle, as protective devices requiring attentive activation, these methods are still wanting in actually protecting patients and surgical teams from unintended harm as the safety protocols must be disengaged for the scalpel to be used. Further, the presence of a prior art scalpel guard diminishes the skill that can be brought to bear by the surgeon, and thus interferes with the efficacy of the scalpel.
Thus, there is a need for a scalpel having a safety feature to prevent accidental and unintended injury while also not detracting from the skill and ability of the surgeon. The present novel technology addresses this need.